The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-04-12
SPANISH LEGENDS
Current Among the Old Mines OF
Plateros.

The mining camp of Plaieros i stu
ated in the district of FreSnillo, in the
State of Iacatecas. about league dis
tant from the town of Fresnillo. It's
discovery. as related in tradition WAS
AZ follows: Some silversmiths 1l0teros)
were journcying toward Durango,
carrying in a chest an image of Christ
upon the cross. when they were over
taken by "A heavy rain, and were Obliged
tn pass the night upon one of the small
hills near FresnilI.,. The storm ceased,
and the men. after dispoSIng their
sacred burden safely in the midst of
their baggage, built huge campfire.
and, seated in "a circle around it. SIpped
upon their thick cakes of corn-four
and s;tvory strips of ierked beef. 1t is
{" ic supposed that. being friends all
Hn the road. and with stomachS full,
they would give free play to theiI
tongues. In good truth. they dis
rDur>cd of storms and icmpestS. of
swollen rivers, of highway robbc-s. and
al the dangers that menace those who
travel. Then the talk turned upon
themes of arithmetic and finance and
very naturally II resulted that the good
fellows took stock of their eNchcquer.
which proved to contain joint capital
of barely twenty dollars.
IF only the Lord would bestow upon
H. money" one of them exclaimed. in
a tone of melancholy.
Nothing is impossible tn Him. re-
piled another.
Il know that well enough: still, l
don't see how we are TO become rieh.r
oh, thou art a doubling Thomas.
Every, thing comes. easy to God
But it must be asked for.
Then let Sfs ask now
The 81 vefSnfiths accordingly kneeleo
before the chest that contained the holy
image, and fervently recited a creed.
Then, enwraPping themselves in theii
zdrapcs, they laid themselves down be-
side the fire, and doubtless slept. The
next morning the wind had swept away
the ashes where their campfire had
blazed, and there, glistening i'm the
first rays of the rising sun, was bright
and shining ingot of silver that the fire
had smelted from the rock. The silver
smiths, it may readily be believed.
went no further with their image, but
began straightway to work the mines.
where they shortly erected chapel ia
Our Lady of the Silversmiths, whence
the mines are named.
/ do not hold myself responsible fol
the truth of this narrative. | can only
vouch for,the fact that the mines and
the chapel are in existence to-day.
One afternoon friend invited me To
visit that same mine, and We SEC out ac-
cordingly. Nothing could be sadder or
lonelier than the situation; u dry gulch,
with a few gray houses of adobe scat
tered at the foot of the low hills. and a
horizon line of brown hills. bare OF
verdure-such is Plateros. 1t is, how
ever, very rich. the. leads of dense sui
pilates. cropping out on the surface.
As my knowledge of mining is of the
slightest, suggested to my compan-
ion that we should visit the church,
whose architecture is fine, and its di.
mansions ali too ample for the few OF
! the faithful i'm the little town.
Before we go into the church, re-
marked my companion, 81 wish to re-
late TO you tradition"
You have the word" l answered,
land that with all my heart. As the
botanists 60 nosing about in search OF
unknown plants, and the mineralogists
after .eins of ore. so shall get out OF
hearing mass by listening TO a tradi
ton"
"Once upon time, then" my friend
began, ga poor man came up the road
driving small, lean donkey. This
animal carried little chest of pinch
/ beck rings, earrings, lookingsglasses
F>and the like for sale among the ranch
J eros In short, this was peddler.
When he had arrived at a cliff in one
of the hills, he unloaded the donkey
and turned it loose to grass nj will.